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To The Reader:

      This manuscript about the history of the Carpenter family was researched and written by my mother, Virginia Tyler Carpenter (1918-2004), who was married for 64 years to my father, Stephen Joseph Carpenter (1918-2005).

      Most of the material used in this manuscript came from a collection of old Carpenter family papers given to Stephen Joseph Carpenter in 1971. These papers had passed into the possession of Elizabeth Carpenter Guerrant (1893-1977) from her father, Adam Wilson Carpenter (1852-1928) of Danville, KY, who was a grandson of Adam and Catherine Spears Frye Carpenter, early Kentucky pioneers. The papers consisted of personal letters, deeds, wills, land surveys, business records, and receipts of the pioneer Carpenter families, some dating back into the late 1700’s, as well as correspondence between Adam Wilson Carpenter and other descendants tracing Carpenter history and ancestry.

      My mother's goal in writing this narrative was to acquaint Carpenter descendants with their ancestors, as their character and personalities seemed to develop through the reading of the old records, and also with some of the circumstances which shaped their lives.

      In copying excerpts from the old letters and documents, my mother retained the original spelling wherever possible, but did change the spelling of the old English double consonant for which there is no modern equivalent on the typewriter. Periods and paragraphs were rarely used in the old letters, so occasionally it was necessary to insert a period here and there for clarity.

      Copies of this history were placed in the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort, KY, the Filson Club in Louisville, KY, and the University of Kentucky Library in Lexington, KY. Copies have also been distributed to various descendants. The history was completed in 1976. All of the original papers and the Adam Carpenter family Bible are preserved at the Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY.

      My mother appreciated and valued the assistance of Mary Kirtley McCormick (Mrs. James) of Lexington, Kentucky, in the preservation and continuation of the Carpenter family history.

Kathleen A. Carpenter
Chicago, IL 60611